J.D. Vance goes from washing and reusing plastic forks at home to posh dinners with seven utensils per setting. The new Netflix film adaptation of his memoir catches the details of knives and forks but misses the “meat” of Vance’s story. Continue Reading...
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December 23, 2020
Rebuilding social capital
Social capital refers to a certain set of informal values and skills shared among members of a group that permit cooperation regardless of socioeconomic characteristics. It is the learned ability of individuals to engage socially and work within organizations to pursue common objectives. Continue Reading...
December 22, 2020
What Brussels sprouts can teach us about work and innovation
For many, Brussels sprouts are symbolic of not-so-popular childhood cuisine, remembered mostly for their bitter taste and ominous odor. More recently, however, they’ve had a revival of sorts, becoming a treasured item in the kitchens of professional restaurateurs and home chefs alike. Continue Reading...
December 21, 2020
Your child’s misery is a price the NEA is willing to pay
The National Education Association has released a new report admitting that virtual schooling has subjected America’s youngest and poorest students to “learning loss,” “social-emotional challenges,” and “trauma.” However, the nation’s largest teachers union implies that schoolchildren’s setbacks should rank below the interests of its 3 million dues-paying members, because kids are “resilient.” Continue Reading...
December 17, 2020
This restaurant owner is the face of California’s selective lockdowns
As states like California continue imposing harsh COVID-19 lockdowns on their citizens, government officials gain even more power to decide which businesses get to survive. Unsurprisingly, politicians have given powerful interests preferential treatment. Continue Reading...
December 16, 2020
Religion adds billions to the economy, study finds
As church attendance and religious affiliation continue to decline across the West, many have lamented the spiritual and social side effects, including a weakening of civil society and the fragmentation of community life. Continue Reading...
December 16, 2020
Walter Williams’ Legacy
On Sunday, December 25, 2011, at 10:55 a.m., I received an email from Walter Williams. I couldn’t believe it. The email simply read, “Does this work for you? Good luck.” It was an endorsement of my book on Thomas Sowell. Continue Reading...
December 15, 2020
Conservatives should not endorse Joe Biden’s family leave policy
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to support federal paid leave benefits for employees. Whether such an agenda can go through with a Republican Senate is questionable. That is unless, Democrats get the help from some misguided conservatives, who have been pushing their own version of paid leave under the illusion that the government could somehow get involved in this area of our lives without growing the size and scope of government. Continue Reading...
December 15, 2020
Should the U.S. abolish the Electoral College?
The Electoral College met on Monday to cast the decisive votes in the 2020 presidential election. This year’s vote was not without controversy, a reality that has engulfed the constitutionally mandated election system since its founding. Continue Reading...
December 14, 2020
Entrepreneurship boom: COVID-19 is spurring new start-ups
In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 22 million Americans lost their jobs, effectively reversing several years of economic growth. This would mark the beginning of a “two-track recovery” that is increasingly divided between those whose livelihoods remained safe and secure and those whose industries or enterprises have been thoroughly upended. Continue Reading...